Fish Out of Water
by Dick West
Summary: Eight years have passed since Undyne and her friends escaped to the surface, but no matter how hard she tires, she just can't seem to escape her past. Desperate to move on, Undyne reaches out to Frisk for help in resolving this inner-conflict, but what will she do when it turns out that her feelings towards Frisk are no longer as simple as she thought either? FriskxUndyne
1. Chapter 1

Thanks for taking the time to check out my story! This is the first thing I've written since I graduated college and I'm pretty out of practice, but hopefully you're able to get some enjoyment out of it none the less. This story was inspired by a foreign language Undertale comic I read a while back. Obviously, it isn't really possible to get a full grasp of the story without being able to read the language, but the basic premise is that Undyne is struggling to deal with the guilt of killing the fallen humans while simultaneously coming to terms with her feelings towards Frisk.

Now I know there is a lot of debate regarding whether or not Undyne actually killed any of the fallen humans herself. We will explore the depths of her involvement as the story goes on, but for now I will be operating under the presumption that she was at least involved in their capture.

Finally, if you don't like the idea of this pairing on a conceptual level, I totally get it. I understand that this story won't be for everyone, but since you're reading this, thanks for at least giving it a look, regardless of how you feel. With that being said, please sit back, relax and enjoy the first Frisk/Undyne fanfic on this site!

Fish Out of Water – Chapter #1

"It doesn't matter," Undyne told herself again and again. "They're all counting on me, I can't hold back!"

 _One more soul._ That was all that stood between her people, the entirety of monster-kind and the freedom they so desperately desired. For most, returning to the surface had been little more than a distant dream, a faint hope that often turned to dread when the cruel grip of reality began to close in. After all, how long had they been down there? How many years had it been since they were cruelly cast into the Underground? How many believed that escape was even a possible? Why bother carrying on the delusion?

But now they finally had a chance. A seventh human had at last made their way into the Underground. He would be their salvation, for Undyne, for her friends, for all the people that were counting on her. At long last, she could be the one to make things right.

All she had to do was... claim his soul.

She sat atop her perch, a rocky crag just beyond the border of the Hotlands. It was the ideal spot. The vantage would give her a marked tactical edge over her opponent should she need it, if not, then the distance would allow her an opportunity to explain herself. She thought it silly, really. That she would need to justify her actions. It was silly, wasn't it? How could the life of one human, the very creatures responsible for their exile, possibly compare to that of every soul she had been entrusted to protect? It was ridiculous to even think about. And yet the more she thought about what she needed to do, the less certain she became.

"Damn it!" she shouted, driving her spear into the cliffside. She walked to the edge of crag and removed her helmet. Why was this suddenly happening? She was supposed to be ready for this. She had planned it all out in her head. This was supposed to be a triumphant moment for her people. So why then, as the human was no doubt quickly approaching, did she feel sick to her stomach? Unfortunately, she would be afforded no more time to consider her reservations, as the sound of footsteps brought her back to reality.

It was finally time. Undyne turned to face her opponent, but as soon as his form came into view, she froze. It was him. How had she not realized before? How could she have forgotten? In an instant, it all came flooding back to her. Their epic triumph over the vegetable hordes, the awkward mess that had ensued when she asked him to deliver her love letter to Alphys, but most of all she remembered how he had spared her life. Even when she had tried to kill him, he couldn't muster the will to harm her.

"F-Frisk?" were the only words that escaped her lips. He stepped out from behind the shadows of the waterfall and wordlessly smiled at her.

Without warning, everything went black. The crag, the waterfall, the ground beneath their feet, all of it had disappeared. They were completely alone. Undyne tried to step back, but as she did so something blocked her way. She nearly collapsed when she turned around to face the obstruction. A knight was standing before her, clad in the full regalia of the royal guard. Undyne instantly recognized the red plume of their helm. After all, it was her helm.

She assumed it was a trick, some kind of illusion, maybe one of Asgore's unconventional training exercises? But when she heard her own voice from behind the grate of the mask, she knew it was no trick.

"What are you waiting for?" it said. "He's standing right there!"

Her reflection picked up the spear that had fallen when the landscape had vanished and thrust it into Undyne's hand.

"Wait... What are you doing?" Undyne demanded, but her duplicate did not pause. The armored knight grabbed Undyne by the wrist and pointed the spear towards Frisk. "No! Stop it!"

It didn't matter what she said. The figure used their other arm to propel Undyne forward, the spear aimed directly at Frisk's heart. Undyne tried to fight back, but it was as though the spirit was inside of her, compelling her body to act against her will. It didn't matter how much she struggled, nothing would change the weapons course. Undyne felt tears welling beneath her one good eye, as the spear entered her friend's chest.

"No!" she screamed, but she was no longer in the Underground. As she took in her surroundings from a seated position, reality slowly began to take hold. The dark blue walls, the various personal effects lining her bureau, the moonlight just barely sneaking in through her curtains.

"Not again," Undyne sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, realizing she was safe in her bed. It had been eight years since the barrier had fallen. Eight years since they left the underground. Eight years since she had first met that short, naive, wimpy little human. Of course for the most part, life on the surface had been a dream come true. Compared to the daily struggles of living underground, her new life mostly consisted of trying to figure out what to do now that her life's ambition had become a reality. But lately, her thoughts had become less innocuous. In the past few months, Undyne had begun to experience nightmares from her time in the royal guard.

There were several variations, of course. Sometimes Asgore was there, other times she had already slain her foe, but no matter what, one thing was always the same: Frisk was her enemy and she was forced to endure the guilt of knowing that she had tried to kill him.

Not wanting to dwell on the past any further, the young woman hastily tossed the sheets from her mattress and slid out of the bed. She was careful to sidestep the coffee table beside her bureau, a practice that had since become second nature to her. She still remembered the first few nights she was forced out of bed by her memories and how the dreaded piece of furniture so viciously assailed her ankles.

"I really need to move that thing," she whispered as she made her way to the kitchen. On nights like these, she found that a cup of tea would usually help to put her mind at ease. She grabbed a kettle from the sink and tossed it on the stove top. As soon as the water was at a boil, she made herself a cup and went back to her room. Sitting down at the edge of her bed, she tried to clear her mind while the beverage cooled. Unfortunately for Undyne, trying to push her memories away only served to intensify the effect they had on her.

If there was one thing Undyne missed about the Underground, it was that things were simple. She was a member of the royal guard, the royal guard carried out the King's orders and the King's orders were to collect the souls of any humans that made their way to the Underground. In doing so, she would be the one to grant monster-kind their freedom. But in the end, ironically, monster-kind would be saved by the very child she had been ordered to kill. It certainly didn't help that the kid could have just as easily left her to die if he wanted to. Just thinking about it pissed her off. She could still remember the dumb, little look on his face when he came back for her in the Hotlands.

Frustrated with the effect these thoughts were having on her, she grabbed the still steaming cup of tea and brought the liquid to her mouth. Undyne realized this was a mistake the moment the liquid made contact with her skin. The pain caused Undyne to drop the cup while simultaneously spitting the pipping hot liquid out all over her floor. Enraged, she glared at the puddle of spilled tea lying at her feet, a spear materializing in the palm of her hand.

"Coward! You would dare strike at me in my moment of weakness? Prepare to meet your Gods, tea!" she cried as she drove her spear into the puddle and (by extension) her own apartment. The wood cracked beneath the force of the spear which was now lodged firmly between two floor boards. "Oh, darn it..."

Undyne let out a sigh as she fell flat against her bed. This was getting out of hand. The nightmares, the memories, the late night episodes, all of it was more than she could deal with by herself. She turned on her side to avoid looking at the mess she had made. It was at that moment that she noticed a few of the books on her bureau had fallen over. Undyne wasn't terribly surprised. She got up to rearrange her belongings, hoping unlike everything else it might help to get her mind off things, but as she finished rearranging the books, she noticed a piece of glossy paper she didn't recall seeing before.

Undyne flipped it over and was immediately overcome with a feeling of warmth. She was certain she had lost it, she remembered turning her apartment upside down trying to find it. Within moments all of the feelings she had felt before, all the doubts and regrets seemed to disappear as she saw their faces again. Undyne ran her fingers across the photo, a tiny memento they had to remember each other by. It was hard to believe that after finally reaching the surface, her fondest memories would be of the last few days she spent in the Underground, all thanks to him...

It was in that instant that Undyne had an epiphany, she was dealing with her problems all wrong. How could she not have realized this sooner? Trying to bury her doubts was like running away in the heat of battle. She had to face this problem head on! But how, she wondered, would she actually go about doing that? It wasn't like she could just go back in time and make a different decision, no one could do that. But if just seeing that picture had helped to pick up her spirits, maybe seeing her friend again would help her move on?

It was ironic, Undyne thought, the person who would be the most help to her just so happened to be the master of running away from battle himself. Undyne wasn't sure whether Frisk would be up this late, or if it would even be appropriate to call him after so much time had passed, but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. At this point, she was tired of making excuses. Undyne grabbed the phone from her bedside and after breaking through the last few barriers of apprehension, she dialed Frisk's number.

-o-o-o-

"Oh come on!" shouted Frisk. "That's three games in a row now."

"What, it's a legitimate strategy." said Sans.

"Back-drafting with a blue shell is not 'a legitimate strategy,' its just abusing the games item system so you can cheese a last second win," said Frisk. This was nothing new for them. Frisk, Sans and Papyrus had all remained close friends after leaving the Ruins. The skeleton brothers were happy to help Frisk navigate the various perils of teenage life. From the struggles of puberty to his first high school breakup, Sans and Papyrus were their to help Frisk the way only best friends could.

But that sort of support came with a price. And in Frisk's case, that price was suffering through loss after loss in Mario Kart. It didn't help that Sans was not only ruthless in his tactics, but meticulous in his defense of them.

"Is drafting a part of the game?" Sans asked.

"What? Yeah..." Frisk replied.

"Are blue shells part of the game?"

"That's not the point..." Frisk tried to rebut Sans, but he was cut off.

"Sounds to me like you're just upset you got dunked on," said Sans, maintaining a constant grin while he taunted his fallen opponent. Frisk was determine to press the issue, but his thoughts were interrupted when the door to his apartment swung open.

"I'm back!" came a voice from the living room. Sans and Frisk turned to see Papyrus had returned from the store with six bags of groceries, five of which were filled with nothing but dried spaghetti. "A little house warming gift for out favorite human!"

"Thanks, Papyrus. You can go ahead and leave it on the table. Now as I was saying..." Frisk looked back to Sans, who was already making his way towards the kitchen. "Hey!"

"Did you remember to get sauce?" Sans asked his brother.

"Of course!" Papyrus lifted the sixth bag up for Sans to see, but the bag had been torn open from the bottom with not a jar of sauce to be found. All that was left was a ripped bag.

"That's a ripped bag," Sans observed.

"What?!" Papyrus looked at the bag, realizing that his brother was telling the truth. Overhearing their conversation, Frisk groaned and made his way to the entrance of his apartment. He had a feeling he knew what had happened. Looking just outside his door, he saw the path leading to his home was littered with broken jars of tomato sauce, painting a red path all the way from the street corner to his building. "Papyrus, when you left the the grocery store, how many bags of sauce did you have?"

"Well, I left with three bags, but it was difficult to carry all of that and the pasta. So I..."

"You put it all in one bag, didn't you?" Sans asked, catching on.

"Well I..." Papyrus tried to muster a response. Sensing his friends unease, Frisk placed a hand on Papyrus' shoulder, offering him a warm smile.

"It's okay buddy, there should be enough sauce left over in the pantry. Thanks for getting the pasta," said Frisk.

To someone else, dealing with the skeleton's antics might have seemed like more trouble than it was worth, but not for Frisk. Papyrus didn't always have the brightest plans, but Frisk knew that every failure was the product of a true and sincere effort to make others happy. Frisk made his way to the fridge, grabbing an already open can of sauce and placing it on the counter.

"You guys wanna stay for dinner? I'm still not very good at the whole cooking thing," said Frisk. Papyrus beamed with excitement.

"Fear not, young human! I, the great Papyrus, will guide you in the perilous practice of pasta preparation!"

Papyrus was quick to fill a pot with warm water, setting it on the stove top and bringing it to a rapid boil. His culinary skills had greatly improved over the eight years since their escape from below. With only a modicum of supervision, Papyrus was able to prepare a hearty meal without even setting the building on fire.

The three of them bonded over their meal, reminiscing on the good times they had shared since coming to the surface. Sans had told them that he had recently gone to visit Toriel, who was now teaching a shared curriculum at her joint human-monster school. Papyrus recalled the time he had gone to see Mettaton in concert, only to have security chase him out. It turned out that climbing onto the stage to say 'hi' was generally frowned upon by the staff. But as they laughed over their shared stories, a thought occurred to Sans.

"Hey, when was the last time either of you saw Undyne?" he said. Frisk and Papyrus paused for a moment.

"I used to call her every day! But... after the thing with her and Alphys, she told me she needed some time and that she didn't want to talk for a while," said Papyrus.

"That was almost a year ago, wasn't it? You haven't heard from her since then?" asked Frisk. Papyrus shook his head.

"I wonder how she's doing. She seemed pretty broken up about the whole thing." said Sans. Frisk couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Undyne was his friend too. Papyrus had always done whatever she had said, it made sense that he wouldn't reach out if she told him not to. But why hadn't Frisk tried calling her? Sans had noticed that Frisk was no longer talking and tried to lighten the mood.

"Hey, come on guys, this is Undyne we're talking about. She's tougher than the three of us combined! I'm sure she's doing just fine," said Sans. Frisk didn't want to worry his friends, so he pushed his concerns aside for the time being. After dinner, Sans and Papyrus left to head back to their home a few blocks away. Frisk wished them well with a smile, but the moment they had left, the thoughts from earlier returned.

Frisk wasn't sure what to think. Had it really been a whole year since any of them had heard from her? Frisk hadn't really thought about it until now, but the fact that he hadn't realized was what hurt the most. He had let her down. Even if she didn't want to talk there must have been something he could have done. Even if it was just letting her know that she wasn't alone.

It was getting late, so Frisk made his way to his room. As much as he tried, he just couldn't stop worrying about Undyne. It felt like hours had gone by and he was still just lying in bed, trying to think of something, anything he could do to make things right. A few more minutes like this and he probably would have gotten up, but he was swiftly brought back to reality when he heard a sound coming from his bedside drawer. He was startled at first, but he quickly realized that it was the sound of his phone. Caught off guard, he wondered who could possibly be calling this late. He pulled the phone out and looked at the caller ID.

 _Incoming Call: Undyne_

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Stay tuned for the next update and let me know what you think about the story so far.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter two of the first UndynexFrisk fanfic, the pairing that no one asked for! I don't have as much to say this time around. Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter. Let's get right into it!

Fish Out of Water – Chapter #2

At first, Frisk thought he was just imagining things. It had been over a year since the last time they had spoken to each other, but now Undyne was calling him in the middle of the night? He figured he must have been dreaming and this was just his mind's way of processing the guilt he felt earlier.

But after rubbing his eyes a few times and adjusting to the light from the phone, he realized he hadn't been mistaken. After getting over his brief shock, he answered the phone.

"Hey Undyne, what's up?" he said, trying to hide his concern.

"Frisk! Good, you're awake," Undyne was only half-expecting him to answer. She hadn't considered what she actually wanted to tell him or how she wanted to frame it. What was she even supposed to say? That she missed him? That she was having nightmares and needed someone to talk to? Those kinds of problems were beneath the dignity of the royal guard. Still, she had called him, she had to say something, "I have a challenge for you!"

"A challenge?" he wasn't sure he understood, "What are you talking about?"

"It's simple, human. I haven't seen you in a year and if I know you as well as I think I do, you've probably spent the whole time hugging flowers and kissing puppies. I need to make sure you haven't been completely wussified in my absence," she told him.

Undyne felt a pang of guilt. She didn't enjoy lying to her friend, but her pride wouldn't allow her to expose herself any further. She hadn't felt this vulnerable in a long time, not since she and Alphys first split up.

Frisk was still a bit confused by the suggestion, but he was relieved to see that Undyne hadn't changed. With so much time having passed he didn't really know what to expect, but after everything that had happened that night, being chastised by his old friend made him feel a thousand times better.

"Alright," he said. It really didn't make a difference what they were doing, Frisk just wanted to see her again, "What did you have in mind?"

"Sorry Frisk, but the less you know, the less likely you'll be to chicken-out," truth be told, Undyne wasn't really sure what they would be doing herself. "Meet me at my place this Saturday. We'll discuss your trial then."

"Okay, should I bring..." Undyne hung up before Frisk could finish.

-o-o-o-

Undyne fell back into her bed. She finally felt like she could get some sleep. It still didn't really make sense to her, though. Why was she only feeling this way now?

Things weren't like this when she still had Alphys. Maybe that was the reason? Undyne wasn't sure.

All she knew was that some part of her just couldn't let go of the person she used to be. Of course, she couldn't tell Frisk that. But somehow, she would find a way to make sense of it all. At the very least, she figured seeing Frisk again would make the whole process a little easier.

Either way, Undyne was tired, both physically and mentally. She slipped under the covers once more and closed her eyes, finally managing to fall asleep.

-o-o-o-

Saturday came sooner than Frisk had anticipated. He wasn't really sure why he was so nervous, it was just Undyne. Sure she could be a bit... abrasive, but that was what he liked about her. He reasoned that it was just his nerves and that everything would be fine once they were face to face again.

After their late night chat, Undyne had called Frisk again the following day. She told him to bring a set of gym clothes with him, refusing to elaborate any further.

Once again, Frisk wanted to know what they would actually be doing, but he decided it would be best to just go with the flow for now. He threw a change of clothes into his bag then made his way outside to the bus stop. Despite all the secrecy, Frisk was excited to see his old friend again.

The bus ride to Undyne's apartment was relatively uneventful. Frisk saw a few of his monster friends, which wasn't uncommon since most of them had moved to the city adjacent to Mt. Ebott after the barrier had fallen.

It didn't take long for him to reach Undyne's building. He had almost forgotten how close they were, the whole bus ride only took fifteen minutes with stops. He was greeted by another one of his friends when he entered the complex, though they didn't recognize Frisk at first.

"Who's there! I recognize that smell, but you don't live here!" said Doggo.

"Hey buddy! I didn't know you were working here," Frisk replied.

"Frisk? Frisk!" the dog began barking with excitement. "Did you bring a stick?!"

"Sorry, pal. I would've if I knew you were here. I'll bring one next time, I promise," the canine couldn't hide his disappointment, but nodded in acceptance. "Anyways, can you tell me which room Undyne is in?"

"Undyne? Sure, one second." Doggo pulled out a book written in braille and flipped to the back, "She's on the top floor, room #936."

"Thanks, man. See you around!"

"Bring treats next time!"

Frisk made his way to the stairs, figuring it would make a decent warm-up for whatever Undyne had in store for him.

-o-o-o-

Frisk was running late. Undyne wondered if maybe he'd forgotten where she lived, though she figured he would have called if he needed directions.

It wasn't as though she was worried, Frisk wasn't the kind of guy to stand her up. Still, she had been anxious ever since the night they spoke. A part of her was worried that he might have changed since the last time they saw each other. Before she could think any further on the matter, a knock came from her apartment door.

"Hey Undyne, you in there?"

Frisk had finally arrived. Undyne smiled as she made her way to the living room.

"Frisk! Get in here, we're running late!"

Opening the unlocked door, Frisk entered Undyne's home.

"Sorry, the bus was a little slow." He stepped inside, but Undyne was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Undyne, where'd you..."

Before he could finish, Undyne jumped Frisk from behind, placing the young man in a headlock. She drove her fist into his skull, initiating her secret, underground, spiral noogie technique.

"Ow! Uncle, uncle!"

"You're not getting off that easy, Frisk! Not unless you can remember the secret phrase!"

It may have been a year since they last saw each other, but Frisk instantly knew what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about anime!" he shouted.

Undyne released the boy, who immediately went to work fixing his hair.

"Apology accepted," she smiled.

"Are you sure about? Because I'm pretty sure you did this exact same thing a year ago," said Frisk.

"Ahh... I'm flattered you remembered," she replied, taunting him.

"Look, I get it. I know I should have been up front with you, but how was I supposed to tell you it wasn't real? It just seemed cruel," he said.

"Oh relax, Frisk. I don't care about that anymore. I just wanted to test your reflexes. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed," she told him. "We'll have to address that during your trial."

Frisk smiled, he was happy to see Undyne in such good spirits. Even with all the time that had passed, things really hadn't changed.

"Very well, Sensei," Frisk stood tall, puffing out his chest. "I will gladly accept any challenge you place before me!"

Undyne didn't even try to contain her laughter.

"Alright short stuff," she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "We'll see if you feel the same way in a couple of hours."

"So what are we doing anyways?" Frisk asked.

"We're gonna test your mettle, Frisk. I wanna make sure you haven't lost your warrior's spirit."

"When did I ever have a warrior's spirit?"

Undyne sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Look, Frisk. There's more to being a warrior than just violence. When you throw yourself at an impossible task without hesitation, that's your warrior's spirit."

"Okay, I kind of get that," Frisk tried to hide his apprehension, "but I haven't done anything like that since we left the Underground."

"Exactly! Which is why you're here. I'm gonna make sure you haven't lost your edge."

Frisk thought the exercise was a bit silly. His life had been pretty normal since leaving the Underground, it wasn't as though he had much need for a warrior's spirit. Still, Undyne was clearly excited and he was curious to see what she had in store for him.

"Alright, Undyne. I'm gonna show you what I'm made of!" Frisk did his best to match her enthusiasm.

Undyne smiled and motioned for Frisk to follow her. The two made their way to the bus stop outside her apartment.

-o-o-o-

It didn't take long for the pair to strike up a conversation on the bus. Undyne still wouldn't let Frisk know where they were going, but he figured there were only so many places the bus could take them.

Aside from that, there was one topic that Frisk was still curious about.

"Hey, Undyne?" he asked.

"What's up?" she replied.

"I was just wondering, what made you want to do this?"

Undyne had a feeling he would ask sooner or later. She had an excuse ready this time, but she wanted to avoid any more lies if she could.

"I just thought it would be a good idea to check up on you. Like I said, it's been a while since I've seen you in action," she hoped that would be good enough for now.

"I get that. It's just..." Frisk considered his words carefully, "I was wondering if there was any reason in particular."

Undyne frowned.

"Look Frisk, as much as I hate to admit it, you beat me in our first duel. So if you become a wimp, it'll mean I was beaten by a wimp."

"Okay..." Frisk didn't seem convinced.

"Don't give me that. It's been too long, Frisk. I had to check up on you sooner or later."

"No, I get it and I appreciate it," Frisk didn't want to press the matter any further. Whatever her reasons were, Undyne clearly didn't feel like sharing them. "I was just curious."

Undyne shifted in her seat. The discomfort she felt from lying combined with her overall apprehension towards the situation made it difficult for her to hide her unease.

She knew sooner or later the truth would come out and she wasn't sure how to broach the subject. On one hand, it felt cowardly to not just tell him what was going on. On the other hand, what was she supposed to say? That she couldn't sleep at night? That this was all just a clever excuse to see him again?

The last thing she wanted was to look weak, especially to Frisk.

-o-o-o-

Frisk noticed that Undyne had gone quiet. He watched as her features twisted and turned. At first she seemed on edge, her shoulders tense and her eyes glued to the window adjacent to their seat. But after a minute, her gaze drifted downward. She rested her arms on her lap, tapping her fingers against the top of her thigh.

Frisk wasn't a fool. He could tell that Undyne had something she wanted to talk about. But whatever it was, it made her feel vulnerable. Frisk wanted nothing more than to help her, but he would need to convince her that she could still trust him, a difficult proposition considering how much time had passed.

Still, Frisk wasn't about to give up.

He knew that getting her to open up would be a process. First, he would need to show her that things hadn't changed. They were still friends after all, a few measly months apart wouldn't change that. It didn't take long for him to come up with an idea.

"You know, I saw Papyrus the other day," he said. "I gotta say, I don't think it's fair that I have to deal with him all by myself these days."

Undyne snapped back to reality at the mention of her former protégé. Frisk thought he noticed the beginings of a smile when she looked up, but Undyne was quick to hide her enthusiasm.

"Oh please, are you telling me you can't handle one hyper-active skeleton?" she replied.

"Oh I can, I just wasn't aware you couldn't," he smiled.

Undyne's eyes went wide.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm just saying, it seems like a member of the royal guard should do their fair share."

"Fair share?! I was cleaning pasta off the walls for years before you showed up in the Underground! The sheer amount of kitchen-carnage I saw would drive you mad! When I close my eyes, I can still see the valleys of broken plate glass, the oceans of spilled tomato sauce!"

"Well, then I guess you wouldn't be scared of a little challenge?" he asked.

Undyne could hardly contain herself.

"Oh bring it on, human!"

"Very well. I'm having Sans and Papyrus over this week. We'll see who the real pasta-champion is then! That is, if you think you have the stomach for it."

Frisk knew that she wanted to see her old apprentice, but she had hardly spoken to him since her breakup with Alphys. This was the perfect excuse to get everyone in one room and reconnect.

"You're so on, Frisk," she said, "but you better prepare yourself, because when I'm through with you, the only thing you'll be eating are your words!"

"Can't I just eat the spaghetti instead? We're gonna have plenty of it."

"Don't joke around! This is serious," she said, but her own grin betrayed how she truly felt about the situation.

"Are you kidding me? I am taking this so seriously. You can't even begin to comprehend how serious I am. Look, this is my serious face," Frisk scrunched his forehead, pushing out his upper lip and contorting his cheek muscles to form the most exaggerated frown possible.

"Stop doing that," she told him, stifling a laugh.

"Don't worry, if the awe-inspiring intimidation factor of my _serious face_ is too much for you to handle, you can always look away," he said.

"Are you mocking me?! This is what a real serious face looks like!" Undyne recoiled her lips, revealing two full rows of razor sharp teeth. The brow above her one good eye pointed down at a sharp angle.

The two were locked in a fierce battle of wills, neither daring to look away. In a bold move, Undyne pressed the advantage, thrusting forward so that her face was mere inches away from his. But Frisk was undeterred, his stalwart defense held strong.

Undyne could feel her composure wavering. Frisk had always been good at keeping a straight face, but this was another thing entirely. He might as well have been staring at a blank wall for all it showed. His lips hadn't so much as twitched. He was relentless.

Undyne knew she was finished.

"Hahahahaha!" the relief she felt came as quick as the bitter taste of defeat.

"Victory is mine!" he declared.

"Very well, Frisk. I underestimated you this one time," Undyne smiled, falling back into her seat. "It won't happen again."

The two of them sat there for the next minute or so, chuckling to themselves like a pair of idiots. A few of their fellow passengers looked on with confusion, but Frisk and Undyne hardly noticed them.

This was all that Frisk had wanted. It didn't matter what was going on in her life, even if she wouldn't tell him what it was, he would still find a way to cheer her up.

"Hey Frisk," she started.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thanks."

Frisk wondered for a moment what she was thanking him for. Was it for accepting her challenge? Was it for inviting her to their spaghetti tournament? Or had she realized Frisk's secret motive? In the end, he decided it didn't really matter.

"Any time, Undyne."

They spent the next few minutes reminiscing on the good ol' days. Undyne had almost forgotten how much had happened since the two of them last spoke. However, it wasn't long before the bus had at last reached their stop. Of course, only Undyne realized they had arrived.

"Alright, Frisk. I hope you're ready!"

-o-o-o-

AN: A little cliff hanger for next time! Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving feedback! I can't tell you how much it means to know that there are people out there who are enjoying what I've done.

I'd also like to apologize for how long it took to finish this chapter. I'm still debating which direction I want to take this story in the long term and there were some parts that had to be re-written.

At any rate, please feel free to leave a review if you feel inclined and let me know what you think of the story so far. Also, if you notice any small grammatical/spelling errors, don't be afraid to mention them. I'd like to get those fixed if I missed them.

Until next time, have a nice day!


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